Fred Smith was born in Sheffield on 30-Sep-1887. On 09-Feb-1917 he marrield Esther Carnall, daughter of George Carnall and Clara Carter of Tom Lane, Fulwood, Sheffield, at St Maries RC Church in the centre of Sheffield. He was the son of Thomas Smith and Ellen Marples. He was a cabinet maker at Cockaynes, a large shop situated on Angel St. At the time of my mother's birth his address was 301 Walkeley Rd, Sheffield.
On 11 September 1914, he enlisted with Sheffield City Battalion, 12 Yorks Lancs Reg. (The Sheffiled Pals). His service number was 12/235, indicating he probably joined on the first day of recruitment. He was later promoted to corporal. He's shown as having also served with 94th Brigade Trench Mortar Battery. He was demob.ed on 2nd February 1919, after serving in Egypt and France. He was gassed during the war, and the family story is that he died on 15-Apr-1940 on a tram on his way to work.
A photograph of Fred appears in the book 'Sheffield City Battalion' by Ralph Gibson and Paul Oldfield. On page 66 of the new edition (2006) is a photograph headed 'Training on the SMILE. The men are in a mixture of blue and khaki at this stage'. He is in blue, in the centre of the group with his hands leaning on the tripod.